Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan

Ever since I first read Stinger and later on Leo and Leo's Chance, Mia Sheridan has become one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. She just has a way of storytelling that completely resonates with me and that makes me fall in love with the characters and their epic love story each and every time. And Archer's voice was no exception. Once again, this was a wonderful story that made laugh and cry and swoon all at once. It's a story that will forever hold a special place in my heart and that I would highly recommend everyone to give a try, whether you're a romance fan or not.

“Sometimes an understanding silence was better than a bunch of meaningless words.”

✦ Bree Prescott ✦

When Bree arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, all she wants is to find peace. Peace from the nightmares and memories that still haunt her six months after the event that uprooted her life. That event made her weary and heartbroken, but she's determined to start over and she hopes a new environment is the key to a fresh start. Her strength and ability to see the best in people made Bree a very likable and easy to relate to heroine and I loved her quirky side and sense of humor.

✦ Archer Hale ✦

An accident as a child has made Archer Hale lose his voice. The events that unfolded after said accident and his inability to speak have caused him to live a life in solitude - a life where loneliness has become the norm. As a hero, he's sweet, shy, caring and fiercely protective all at once. *MAJOR SWOON* It takes a while for him to open himself up to Bree and the friendship she's offering but once he finds out that she truly wants to get to know him and spend time with him, he comes completely out of his shell. Together, Bree and Archer find ways to communicate and heal each other, beyond all barriers his inability might present.

"His eyes told me everything… We communicated a thousand words, without a single one being spoken."

Archer's disability to express himself out loud provides many challenges in his relationship not only with Bree, but with everyone around him. He's spent many years by himself, without any form of communication with anyone other than his uncle and he has a lot to learn when it comes to relationships and intimacy, but he's a fast learner and Bree is patient and willing enough to help him become the best version of himself possible.

“I want to be able to love you more than I fear losing you, and I don't know how. Teach me, Bree. Please teach me. Don't let me destroy this.”

Bree and Archer's relationship is one that slowly but surely evolves from deep friendship to all-consuming love but that has quite a few bumps along the road. Miscommunication, circumstances and people that want to keep them apart...but overall there wasn't a huge amount of angst in the story, just the right amount to keep the story from ever becoming boring or predictable. Most chapters are from Bree's POV but I loved the fact that we also get a chapter from Archer's POV every now and then; they made me understand his history and reasonings much better.

"I think love is a concept, and each person has an individual word for what sums it up for them. My word for love is Bree.”

All in all, Archer's Voice was an unputdownable, unforgettable story about love, hope, loss, friendship and healing that will from now on reside on my all-time-favorites-shelf.

Standalone.

“I was finally home. Not the place, but his arms. Archer’s arms were my home- the only place I wanted to be, the place where I felt safe. The place where I felt loved.”